Now showing 1 - 10 of 29
  • Publication
    Combining structural analysis and multi-objective criteria for evolutionary architectural design
    This study evolves and categorises a population of conceptual designs by their ability to handle physical constraints. The design process involves a trade-off between form and function. The aesthetic considerations of the designer are constrained by physical considerations and material cost. In previous work, we developed a design grammar capable of evolving aesthetically pleasing designs through the use of an interactive evolutionary algorithm. This work implements a fitness function capable of applying engineering objectives to automatically evaluate designs and, in turn, reduce the search space that is presented to the user.
    Scopus© Citations 27  1084
  • Publication
    Mechanical behaviour and 3D stress analysis of multi-layered wooden beams made with welded-through wood dowels
    This paper presents experimental and numerical investigations on multi-layered timber beams using welded-through wood dowels in place of traditional poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc)-adhesives (or metallic nails). Four-layer beams were constructed with varying numbers of dowels, in each, and then loaded using four-points bending tests to evaluate the mechanical performance of these beams. The practical difficulties encountered in constructing deeper multi-layer beams are discussed and possible solutions which have been employed for the purpose of this work, and proved successful are presented. In order to investigate thoroughly the full potential of multi-layered beams with a very limited number of experimental studies, a 3D FE model has been presented, validated against experimental results and then used to study some influential parameters. The results showed that a reasonable bending stiffness of multi-layered beams is achievable with a good combination of material and geometric parameters.
    Scopus© Citations 72  1296
  • Publication
    Technological transformations at Boatstrand Harbour
    (2016-12-10)
    The late nineteenth century was a revolutionary period for harbour construction in Ireland, principally due to the efforts of one man, Bindon Blood Stoney [1828-1909] the Chief Engineer to Dublin Port [1862-98]. Although portland cement, the primary ingredient of concrete, had been developed as early as 1820 it was not until Stoney’s audacious use of large scale precast concrete blocks to build the North Wall extension and Alexandra Basin [1871-84]1 at Dublin Port that the material gained sufficient credibility to engineers to wholly supplant the use of stone in maritime engineering works.
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  • Publication
    Living in the clouds: conceptual reconstructions of harbour structures
    (Emerald, 2018-02)
    The harbours of Ireland, under threat from deterioration and rising sea levels, are being documented using terrestrial LiDAR augmented by archival research to develop comprehensive histories and timeline models for public dissemination. While methods to extract legible three-dimensional models from scan data have been developed and such operational formats for heritage management are imperative, the need for this format in interpretive visualisations should be reconsidered. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach: Interpretive visualisations are forms of history making, where factual evidence is drawn together with conjecture to illustrate a plausible account of events, and differentiation between fact and conjecture is the key to their intellectual transparency. A procedure for superimposing conjectural reconstructions, generated using Rhinoceros and CloudCompare, on original scan data in Cyclone and visualised on a web-based viewer is discussed.Findings: Embellishing scan data with conjectural elements to visualise the evolution of harbours is advantageous for both research and public dissemination. The accuracy and density of the scans enables the interrogation of the harbour form and the irregular details, the latter in danger of generalisation if translated into parametric or mesh format. Equally, the ethereal quality of the point cloud conveys a sense of tentativeness, consistent with a provisional hypothesis. Finally, coding conjectural elements allows users to intuit the difference between fact and historical narrative. Originality/value: While various web-based point clouds viewers are used to disseminate research, the novelty here is the potential to develop didactic representations using point clouds that successfully capture a provisional thesis regarding each harbour’s evolution in an intellectually transparent manner to enable further inquiry.
    Scopus© Citations 1  522
  • Publication
    Augmented Maritime Histories: Text, Point, Line
    (2016-11-12)
    The coastline of Ireland has been embellished through the accretion of piers, jetties, quays and breakwaters to facilitate the ever-­-evolving nature of the shipping and fishing industries in the past millennium. These structures represent a significant infrastructural system that has shaped local and national Irish culture for centuries. While Ireland’s major ports have been carefully documented and researched, much of this infrastructure, though once intrinsic to the economic wealth and welfare of local communities, has fallen into disrepair as the industries that once generated their development have been centralized to the major ports. With damage from the seas ever increasing, it has become critical to document these minor harbour structures to describe and elaborate the entwined nature of their development with the communities they had once served.
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  • Publication
    Experimental study of timber-to-timber composite beam using welded-through wood dowels
    This paper presents exploratory research related to novel full-scale multi-layered timber beams with composite action achieved with welded-through wood dowels. Different multi-layer beam designs, where the timber layers were interconnected with welded wood dowels providing interlayer shear resistance, were tested in bending with different dowel densities. The main originality of this study is the achievement of dowel welds through greater depths of sections than has previously proved possible. The practical difficulties encountered in constructing deeper multi-layer beams, and the successful solutions arrived at, are discussed. The significance of the research reported is the demonstrated ability to produce multilayered timber sections which are structurally efficient and do not require non timber based joining agents such as nails or adhesive.
      1329Scopus© Citations 46
  • Publication
    Weather Register
    This thematic study was run as a portion of the second term of design studies in a first professional Masters of Architecture degree program in Spring of 1998.
      182
  • Publication
    Inclusive Teaching & Learning Case Studies in Engineering, Architecture & Affiliated Disciplines
    Diversity and inclusion are core to UCD values. We seek to attract students from a wide range of social and economic backgrounds and students who reflect the true diversity of the country. And as a global university, UCD attracts international students from over 100 countries. This diversity enriches our campus, and the experience of our students. The University's strategy 2020-2024 'Rising to the Future' also recognises the importance of inclusion and diversity, in seeking to "provide an inclusive educational experience that defines international best practice and prepares our graduates to thrive in present and future societies." However, an inclusive educational experience will not be achieved by simply creating diversity in the student body. It requires that we adjust our approach in everything we do to support and encourage our students’ success. We have clearly articulated in our strategy, and further emphasised in our Education and Student Success strategy, that our goal is to "equip all our educators with the tools and resources required to embed Universal Design for Learning on an institution-wide basis".
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